Cereal

I love eating cereal for breakfast.  Don't worry, I still eat etmo too, but I like cereal as an appetizer.

My favorite kind is Daddy Cereal.  It's the kind in the blue box with a tiger-guy.  Mom likes to sneak healthy cereal into the tiger box.  She thinks I don't notice.  Ha!  I'm just flexible in my cereal-munching.

I can even scoop it all by myself and I'm not even mega messy anymore.

I think I'm ready to try Cocoa Puffs.

Faces

Today I spent some time working on my face-making skills.

This is my cheeeeeese face.

This is my sad face.  Sort of.

This is my happy face.

This is my crazy face.

And this is my grumpy face.
I'm a pretty well-rounded toddler-peep.

Octobus

One of my very favorite things to do is drink water out of my octobus-cups!  

When I first started, things were a little, well, wet.  Really, it was a win for everyone - I got to practice and mom got an excuse to finally mop the floors.  

But these days I'm pretty much an expert octobus-drinker.  I almost never require a clothing change afterward!

Mickey Sammich

Tonight I asked for a grilled cheese sandwich (and carrots and broccoli and raspberries and grapes and watermelon) for dinner.

Mom made me an awesome surprise - Mickey grilled cheese!  And she said those pieces all around it were Mystery Mousekatools.  I wasn't convinced but ate them just in case.  I didn't want to upset Mickey.

It was probably the best sandwich I've ever had!  I hope mom and dad are ready to Mickify all of my food now!

Resemblance

This is me.

And this is my baby, Beef Stu.
What do you think?  Do we look alike?

Chalk Skills

I love working on my chalk skills.

Sometimes I get so into being Peep Van Gogh I get carried away and need a midday bath.

I'm not the only one - even Sissy Dog was pink and purple by the end of my art show!

Cheese

Ringlet-Peep

Like I said, I may have a mullet, but it's the curliest, cutest mullet around.  And I'm never getting it cut.

Mulletrific

I'm pretty sure I'm making mullets cool again.

Tubby Peep

Great news, Peeps!  I got my very own iPhone!

Okay, technically mom got an iPhone, but it's only a matter of time before I get my hands on it.  After all, I'm pretty sure I could work it better than her.

I mean, look at this picture.  Mom can't even figure out how to turn it the right way.  Clearly she needs an expert-at-phone-skills-peep to help her.  But for now I'll let her stumble around.  I don't want to seem too anxious.

And I'll happily perform for her and butter her up.  Do you recognize this song?  I hear there are hand motions too.

Misunderstood

Mom has been judging me a lot lately.  She's all, "Peep, I don't want to hear your fussing, please talk to me using kind words and good manners," and I'm all, "When I use kind words, you say 'no.' When I fuss, you respond.  You do the math."

I know it's hard to believe I am even capable of fussing.  I like to think of it as requesting something with artistic emphasis.

And it's not that I'm trying to be difficult  I'm a pretty agreeable toddler-peep.

But sometimes I need a new sheet of Elmo stickers as a matter of life and death.  And sometimes I need to try the neighbor's bouncy house in the middle of a thunderstorm as a matter of life and death.  And sometimes I need new fresh and clean b-gucks as a matter of life and death.  

(What?  You've never passed out on the front steps before?  Even during college?)

Anyway, like I was saying.  I'm not trying to be an unruly peep.  I'm just trying to express myself.  And self-expression comes in many forms, including epic tantrum.

The good news is that I have a solution I'm planning on proposing to mom at our next meeting (which, incidentally, will probably be tomorrow morning over milk and Mickey).  If mom would just agree to give in to my every request the first time I ask, I'd never whine or fuss again.

If that's not reasonable and accommodating, I don't know what is.

Bipolar-Peep

You know what's funny?  My ability to be the sweetest toddler-peep ever one minute, and a possessed psycho-peep the next.

Cheeeese

Sometimes mom is all, "Peep, you look pretty cute, let's take some pictures!" and I'm all, "Mom, I'm always cute, but I don't just model for free.  Call my agent." 

If mom isn't listening, I'm forced to pull out the big guns - the sideways "I'm ignoring you" eyeroll.

Of course, then I start to feel bad.  I mean, mom looks like such a monkey flopping around with her camera begging me to smile.

Inevitably, I give in and smile like a turkey-peep.

Twenty-Six

I'm a little late on my twenty-six update.  I was so busy working on my road-trip skills I hardly noticed the calendar.  So, a belated update.

Twenty-six is a pretty good age.  I think I've finally achieved a solid two-year-old attitude, complete with fit-throwing skills and and irrational-behavior skills.  Most of the time my mom and dad think I'm a pretty awesome toddler-peep.  Once in a while I throw in a ridiculous fit just to keep them honest.

I love playing.  My favorite toys are my blocks (legos), my musical instruments, cooking in my kitchen, my doctor kit, and any stickers I can get my hands on.  I love reading library books and I usually have them memorized pretty quickly.  I like art projects too, especially my stamper dot paints.  And rocks are the best toys in the world.  I like to collect them and bring them home. It's pretty awesome when the playroom is covered in tiny rocks.  I'm pretty into imaginative play.  I love to play pretend trip to the zoo, pretend tea party, and pretend mom is a baby and needs a new diapie.

My chattering is at an expert level.  Some of my favorite phrases include:
1.  "___ is the best ___ in the whole world" or "____ is my best _____ ever ever ever."
2.  "I love daddy/mommy/Sissy/Hanky so so so much."
3.  "I want to do it all by myself!"
I also like to sing my way through things.  I can make up songs about anything and I'm guessing I'll have a recording contract before long.

I continue to be a pretty excellent sleeper-peep.  Mom and dad think it's because they trained me well.  It's really just that I love my b-guck (binky) so so much and my crib is the only place we're reunited.  I go to bed between 8 and 8:30 pm and wake up between 7 and 7:30 am.  I was waking up earlier but mom and dad threw such a fit about it I adjusted my schedule.  They can be kind of whiny.  I nap about 2-3 hours each day too.  In the mornings I like to have milk and watch Mickey in mom and dad's bed.  But don't try and give me cold milk.  My sophisticated pallet will throw a fit.

I use the potty about 2-4 times a day, depending on my mood.  I've had days where I stay dry all day and wear underpants and go on the potty, but sometimes a toddler-peep just wants a diaper.  Mom keeps being all, "In August we're going to say good-bye to diapers!" and I'm all, "We'll see, I can smell your lack of motivation a mile away."

My eating skills are pretty good with a side of picky.  If mom and dad would just let me eat fruit and bread and cheese and cupcakes all day long, we wouldn't have any problems.  But sometimes they make me eat chicken and turkey and hot dogs and pasta and vegetables.  I'm usually agreeable.  Except when I'm not.  I'm finally pretty good with a spoon although I prefer to sit back, put my feet up and let mom do the spooning.  It makes her feel needed.

I've had a pretty busy summer so far.  I've been going to the pool lots, going to Camp School (glorified daycare), playing at parks, and seeing friends.  This month I start nature class too! 

I still have only twelve teeth but I'm pretty sure more are coming because I have an uncontrollable urge to chew my fingers all day.  I'm not sure how tall I am but I'm probably about 24 or 25 pounds.  I'm wearing 2T clothes mostly (with a few 18-24 months for good measure).  And I'm still sitting backwards in the car because mom is neurotic and swears she's never turning me.

Well, I think that covers twenty-six.  Maybe by the time I'm twenty-seven I'll no longer have a mullet.

Pool Party

It is super fun to have friends that live close by, stock chalk, and keep the baby pool filled on a hot summer day.